HOW FREQUENTLY SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR OVEN?

For deep cleaning an oven that’s used regularly, not excessively, it’s recommended to do so every three months.

If you're an avid home chef or baker or frequently host dinner guests, you should perform a deep clean sooner than every three months to avoid grime and grease accumulation and to ensure your oven looks its best. The best practice is to wipe up spills and splatters before the oven completely cools so that the residue is easier to clean. The oven should be slightly warm, not hot.

Other signs that you need to clean your oven are the amount of visible residue, like grease, on the inside or outside of the oven or strange smells or smoke leaving from the oven while it’s in use.

Every oven is different and it’s best to follow the instructions in your model’s owner’s manual. Typically, you can safely clean the inside of your oven with a baking soda paste. This simple paste is made from:

• 3 parts water
• 8 parts baking soda

Next, apply the paste and let it rest for roughly 20 minutes. Make sure you spray it with lemon juice or white vinegar before wiping off the paste.

To go the extra mile, you can soak the oven racks in warm water with laundry detergent or dish soap and clean the exterior oven door with glass cleaner or vinegar. To clean the exterior of stainless steel ovens, it’s best to use a specialized cleaning solution like affresh® Stainless Steel Cleaning Spray.¹

Of course, you can clean your oven with a self-cleaning cycle or steam-cleaning cycle, if either is available on your model. Read more about the ins and outs of self-cleaning ovens with this guide.

^{1. affresh brand products and the recommending brands’ products are all owned and distributed by Whirlpool Corporation.}

There are several benefits to cleaning your oven, including a reduced likelihood of food contamination due to the elimination of grease and fat buildup in the oven’s cavity. Another potential benefit is an increase in visibility through the oven door glass because of the removal of grease, grime and food debris.

Effective and frequent oven cleaning can contribute to your cooking and creative process in the kitchen, as it ensures your appliance is always ready to roast meats or bake decadent desserts.

HOW LONG AFTER CLEANING MY OVEN IS IT SAFE TO COOK?
Regardless of the method used to clean your oven, you should be able to cook any recipe as soon as the oven surfaces are dry or once the self-clean cycle is done and you've wiped down and dried the interior. If you’re wondering how long your oven will be out of commission while it’s being cleaned, it depends on what method you use.

Manually cleaning your oven can keep this heavily relied-on appliance looking sleek and ready to use. Concoct mild solutions with household items like vinegar, dish soap and baking soda as, in most cases, these can help protect the surfaces of your oven from damage. You should always confirm that a chemical, household item or cleaner is safe to use for your oven by consulting the owner’s manual. With the manual method, you should be good to start cooking once the oven’s racks, interior, door and cooktop have been cleaned and are fully dry.

If you clean your oven with its self-cleaning feature, you should also be able to start cooking once the cycle is complete, the oven has cooled and any leftover debris has been wiped away.

An oven usually takes roughly 30 minutes to cool down but it varies based on the model.

HOW TO CLEAN AN OVEN’S INTERIOR AND GLASS
When hand cleaning the inside of an oven, ensure the appliance is completely cool and lay down trash bags or towels under the door so that nothing drips on the floor.

Follow these steps to clean the interior and glass of your oven:

• Remove all cookware and racks from the oven.
• Mix baking soda and water until it forms a paste.
• With a flexible silicone spatula or brush, spread the paste around the interior of the oven, coating the entire cavity and door but not the glass window.
• Let the paste sit for a minimum of 20 minutes, or overnight if there is a significant amount of grease and grime, before proceeding to the next step.
• Spray with lemon juice or white vinegar.
• With a cloth or rag, immediately wipe up the lemon juice or vinegar and use a scraper if you encounter any stubborn stains or messes.

You should repeat this process using only lemon juice or vinegar as needed.

HOW TO CLEAN OVEN RACKS
You should clean the oven racks before tackling the oven’s interior. Start by sliding out the racks of a cooled oven and placing them in a tub large enough to fill with the amount of hot water needed to cover them.

Next, add 1/2 cup of mild dish soap or 3/4 to 1 cup of laundry detergent. Allow the oven racks to soak for a minimum of two hours and then scrub them gently with a cleaning brush. You should then completely rinse and dry the racks with a soft cloth before returning them to the oven.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR A GLASS COOKTOP
To clean your oven’s glass cooktop, use a plastic scraper to remove any food residue. Next, spray the cooktop with a cooktop cleaner like affresh^® cooktop cleaner¹ or white vinegar. If you spot any stubborn messes, loosen them with a soft plastic scrubber before using a damp cloth to remove every drop of cleaner.

If you have a gas stove with top grates and burners, consult your owner’s manual or user guide for specific information before soaking or scrubbing them.

OVENS WITH A SELF-CLEANING OPTION
For models with a self-cleaning option, use this feature in place of manual cleaning. Follow these tips to clean your self-cleaning oven:

• Remove the oven racks and any plastic items from the cooktop and storage drawer
• Wipe down the oven’s interior with a damp cloth
• Use glass cleaner and a very fine (000) steel wool pad to clean the oven window

^{1. affresh® and the recommending brand products are all owned and distributed by Whirlpool Corporation.}